Tonic herbs, like the ginsengs, are traditionally believed to help balance the body and the endocrine system and occasionally are referred to as “super herbs” because of this effect.

I’m skeptical of any claim that the body does not develop resistance to continuous daily use. If someone is making that claim, ask to see some peer-reviewed double-blind studies that support it. If they don’t have those, they have no basis for making the claim other than personal belief and/or a marketing interest.

Traditionally Oriental medicines (Chinese and Vedic) offered elaborate rituals for preparing and taking the tonics (days-on, days-off, using in varying doses and varying combinations with other substances) all of which would keep the user from developing increasing dependance and/or resistance.

I bet a lot of other people would like to know what herbs and nutrients and synergistic combinations have been shown to be effective in weight-loss and hunger satiation.

You’ve inspired me to begin preparing a report on that. I’ll let you know as soon as it’s ready.

Let me mention one thing right off: A number of factors are involved in how and why and when our bodies store fat and different bodies have different needs. So really there is no one-size-fits-all magical remedy. It’s wise to analyze and identify why your body is storing more fat than you want it to, and then experiment with approaches that tackle the issue from that specific angle.

I’ll explain all this in the upcoming report, and look at nutrients that have been proven to effectively tackle the three main reasons we put on weight.

In addition, is there any formula of herbs that you feel are safe to use in aid of weight loss if used in moderation? Particularly ones that help you feel fuller faster?

I would love to know, thanks!

(Aocording to the current product label, the Slim 30 ingredients are hawthorn 35mg, senna 30mg, oyster shell (calcium) 50mg, lotus leaf 20mg. An earlier formulation included licorice and tangerine, but those apparently are no longer in the formula.)

The laxative is senna. It’s the primary ingredient in Ex-Lax and Black Draught and many other over-the-counter laxatives.

Another of the herbs, lotus, may be in the formula to help counter some of the unpleasant effects of laxatives, such as diarrhea and abdominal cramping, as it is believed to help with those conditions. (See http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/learn/Lotus_leaf.php)

Lotus also is a diuretic.

My concern is that the second most plentiful ingredient is senna.

While 30mg of senna is a low dose, there are dangers in using laxatives long-term, as for dieting purposes. Overuse can lead to electrolyte imbalance, dehydration, damage to intestinal lining, and even death. Overuse of diureteics also can lead to electrolyte imbalances (which can cause heart failure.) And use of laxatives for more than two weeks can lead to a dependency known as “lazy bowel syndrome.” (See http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_g2603/is_0006/ai_2603000652) Laxative labels have warnings about this. Diet products usually do not.

This formula has hawthorn, which is traditionally used to strengthen the heart and possibly is included on the belief that it helps counter the potential effects of electrolyte imbalance on the heart. I don’t whether combining the herbs would actually produce that result.

Warnings aside, you seem to have tolerated this formula well for quite some time — more than two years.

To respond directly to your query: Taking six or more weeks off might allow your body to readjust to normal function. And then the formula might work for you again, at least for a short time. Your body, smarter now, most likely would recognize the formula quickly upon reintroduction and adapt to it quickly. I doubt that you would get anywhere close to two years of apparent benefit again.

During the time you are not taking the formula, at least at first, you probably will experience discomfort: sluggish digestion, constipation, etc. You’ll probably want to eat lots of leafy greens during the transition, to help things along.

That’s because after the first few weeks of steady use, your digestive and excretory systems would have become dependent upon the stimulation of a laxative in order to perform normal functions.

At first, this stimulation sped up the transit time of food and food wastes, which may have caused you to take up fewer nutrients (fats, protiens, carbohydrates, vitamins, etc.) into your bloodstream — and thus you lost weight. (There is disagreement in the medical community about whether laxatives really have any effect on nutrient uptake, since they are known to work on the lower intestine and colon and believed not to work on the small intestine where nutrients are absorbed.)

Later, your body came to expect the laxative’s stimulation and adjusted to it so that you no longer are speeding up transit time nearly so much.

May I recommend that you discuss this with a doctor?

I personally don’t think it’s a safe or wise formula. And at $60 to $70 per month, it seems really overpriced. It contains at most a couple dollars worth of herbs if you were to buy them bulk by the ounce and make your own formula.

Please see this FDA document which explains why in the ’90s the federal agency was considering requiring warning labels on some laxative-based over-the-counter diet products: http://www.fda.gov/FDAC/features/1997/597_tea.html.

Hate to be so discouraging, but I see the potential for serious health complications from using Slim 30 and feel it would be irresponsible for me NOT to caution you.